The 1st game of 3 to qualify for the RYU'OU(竜王) title match in 2014

This is the 1st game of the three game match to qualify for the RYUOH(竜王) title match in 2014 between HABU and ITODANI.
This cliffhanging game was played on 2014-08-14 and won by ITODANI.

I translate the score into non-Japanese notation and add some comments. You can see the original score HERE.

The game score

ITODANI Tetsuro		HABU Yoshiharu
1	P-76	2	P-84
3	P-26	4	G-32
5	G-78	6	P-85
7	B-77	8	P-34
9	S-88	10	Bx77+
11	Sx77	12	S-42
13	S-38	14	S-72
15	P-16	16	P-14
17	P-96	18	P-94
19	P-36	20	P-64
21	K-68	22	S-63
23	K-79	24	S-54
25	G-58	26	P-44
27	P-46	28	G-52
29	S-47	30	K-41
31	S-56	32	K-31
33	P-66	34	P-74
35	N-37	36	N-73
37	P-25	38	P-65
39	Px65	40	S-33
41	S-66	42	P-75
43	P-45	44	Px45
45	P-24	46	Px24
47	Nx45	48	S-44
49	B*46	50	B*51
51	P*25	52	Px25
53	P*23	54	Px23
55	Sx75	56	S44x45
57	Sx45	58	Sx45
59	P*24	60	Gx24
61	Bx24	62	Bx24
63	Rx25	64	P*23
65	Rx45	66	B*54
67	R-48	68	Nx45
69	S-66	70	P-86
71	Px86	72	N*74
73	Sx65	74	Bx65
75	R-45	76	B-54
77	N*44	78	S*43
79	R-75	80	P*73
81	S*55	82	Sx44
83	Sx54	84	N*66
85	S*43	86	Gx43
87	Sx43+	88	Nx78+
89	Kx78	90	N-66
91	K-77	92	Nx58+
93	R-65	94	S-32
95	P*42	96	Bx42
97	B*61	98	Sx43
99	Bx43+	100	S*32
101	R-61+	102	G*51
103	+Bx44	104	B-33
105	+Rx51	106	G*41
107	+Bx33	108	Nx33
109	+Rx53	110	B*68
111	K-66	112	Bx57+
113	K-77	114	P*66
115	B*64	116	P-67+
117	K-87	118	K-21
119	P*22	120	K-12
121	+Rx57	122	S*78
123	K-98	124	+Px57
125	B*46	126	Kx22
127	N*26	1-0

Comments

• 20.P-64 

Habu aims to put his silver on 54. Other ways to move S-73~64 or S-83~84 are also playable.

• 21.K-68

If you move this before Gote's P-64, Gote will move S-73 or S-83 and you be disadvantaged because your king is near a battle of field.

• 40.S-33

Habu have selected neither traditional moves, 38.S-33 nor 40.P-75.

In fact, nowadays they are supposed as good for Sente among pros like thus:

38.S-33 39.P-45 40.PxP 41.P-24 42.PxP 43.P-15 44.PxP 45.P-75 46.PxP 47.P-35 48.S-44 49. Rx24 50.G-63 51.P*12 52.Lx12 53.Px34 54.B*38 55.R-39 56.B-27+ 57.B*11 58.+B-28 59.Bx44+ 60.+Bx39 61.P*22...

40.P-75 41.P-24 42.Px24 43.P*25 44.Px25 45.Px75 46.P-86 47.Px86 48.Nx65 49.SxN 50.SxS 51.Rx25...

• 42.P-75

You can't take this pawn. That's Because 43.Px75 44.P-86... or 43. Sx75 44.Sx65... each situation is not good for Sente.
However, Gote can't also take pawn on 76 next due to Sente's P*74.

Note
Suppose that it's Gote's turn here, and then P-86 Px86 Rx86 P*87 R-82... the position had been appeared in many games of pros with Sente and Gote inversed.
Nowadays they incline to regard Sente as with bright prospect in this position, but you know it's Itodani's turn in this game! 

• 46.Px24 

If he makes 46.Sx24, you 47.Nx45 threatening B*44 and B*71.

• 47.Nx45

47.P-35 was also possible. After that, for example 48.S-44 49.P-15 50.Px15 51.P*13 52.Lx13 53.Rx24 54.B*49 55.G58-67 56.P*23... almost equal.

• 59.P*24

If you move 59.Rx25(forking!), then 60.P*24 61.Rx45 62.S*54 and miss your rook. Sente has a weakness for an attack by a captured rook.

The situation have became complicated more and more.

• 63.Rx25

63.S*23 is imaginable. Then 64.G-43 65.Rx25 66.G-33 67.G*32 68.Gx32 69.Rx24 70.G-33 71.B*22... Sente has an advantage. It may be better for Gote to take G*32 by rook.

After the game Itodani said that 63.Rx25 was attempt to preserving move. So to say, he has wanted to leave some room of the silver for guard.

• 77.N*44

A strong 77.S*22!? had occurred to Itodani, but then after 78.Kx22 79.R-41+ 80.G-51 81.S*31 82.K-12 83.P*42(threatmate!), 84.B-33 become a very fitting move and he should be losing.

So he kept a balance by this knight, but the position is for Habu now.

• 88.Nx78+

It seems very natural but in fact is automatic. Habu would be almost winning if he had dropped 88.S*32.

• 93.R-65

Itodani threatens mating by next G*41! and it appears to go back almost equal.

• 97.B*61

Itodani made a bit mistake. He had regarded Gote's king as captured by 98.Sx43 99.Bx43+ 100.S*32 101.R-61+ 102.P*41 103.G*52.

In fact, this is his misunderstanding. By after that 104.Sx43 105.+Rx41 106.K-22 107.+Rx42 108.K-13, the king will get clear away and Itodani's king is now on jeopardy!

Perhaps he should have made a move 97.+Sx44 instead, but he was afraid of losing tempo.

• 102.G*51

The cause of defeat as a result. As written above, If Habu had put a pawn on 41, he could keep the balance.

• 125.B*46

Apart from this, you would be forked of your king and the bishop on 64 by rook.

Next 127.N*26 is the winning move. Now Gote is entangled in the mating net.

Other Comments

The 2nd game has already been played on 2014-09-02, won by Habu.

The final is on 2014-09-08.

You can see the game in real time from HERE:)

Today's Problem

Your turn. Make a strong move G*41!! and mate the king.

Note: you should calculate both patterns after black replaying i) Kx41 and ii)K-22.